


Static

by 19_empty_vacancies



Category: Buzzfeed Unsolved (Web Series)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Established Relationship, Halloween, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-19
Updated: 2019-02-19
Packaged: 2019-10-31 15:02:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,191
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17851826
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/19_empty_vacancies/pseuds/19_empty_vacancies
Summary: Five months since he watched his best friend, his partner,his husband, sink into those floorboards.Five months since he found an ancient looking contract sitting on the bed of their shared motel room.Five months. 153 days. 3,672 hours.





	Static

The room is dark, and even tucked beneath the blankets he feels cold. Cold like he’s never felt before. It’s as if a chill had seeped beneath his skin and taken up residency in his bones. A deep weariness that’s taken hold and gripped him tight for the last five months. If he was to think on it for longer than he dared to, he could pinpoint the exact moment that the chill had set in. It was the same time all the warmth and colour had drained from his vision, from his world.

A flash of a memory ignites behind his eyelids, Shane’s wide eyes and panicked cry of “Stay back, Ry!” echoes in his ears as he sees that elegant hand jerk out to keep him out of the room. Black tendrils begin to stretch up Shane’s legs, he watches the chest rig come off and hit the floor as the door begins to—

Ryan snaps his eyes open, blinking rapidly to free himself of that image, that memory, and instead his eyes are cast across the bed to the digital clock glowing gently on the far bedside table. Streetlight filters in through the cracks around the blinds, just enough light to give everything a vague shape and to paint the air a staticky grey.

The silence of the room is almost as painful as the absence of warmth beside him. No soft breathing, no sheets rustling with exhaled snores. Five months since he watched his best friend, his partner, _his husband_ , sink into those floorboards.

Five months since he found an ancient looking contract sitting on the bed of their shared motel room.

Five months. 153 days. 3,672 hours.

God, the count down for this day, for this brief reprieve has been all that he could think of. He’d tried to calculate the minutes and seconds, but seeing the numbers increase was too much for him. Too stark and laid out. Too much like how Shane would have taken a bit.

For months Ryan has felt like he was going insane, hearing soft whispers as he tried to fall asleep, swearing that he could feel fingers twining through his own as his hand hung off the mattress only to see nothing there but shadow. Work was hard on the days where he’d be deep in the zone only to yanked out of it because he could have _sworn_ that he’d just smelt Shane’s cologne waft over his shoulder. The same way it used to when Shane would lean in to see what he was doing.

These thoughts, these instances and memories, all had an inner Shane detailing every other possible thing it could be. A constant narration of rational likelihoods.

Ryan tucked himself tighter under his blankets, shifting to pull his jumper sleeves down over his knuckles, while his eyes glanced between the numbers on the clock and the empty pillow in front of him. Restless, he started spinning the band on his finger, itching for the numbers to move faster, for _time_ to move faster.

11:58PM.

The room felt heavier, the air shifting ever so slightly, getting thick in his throat with each inhale. Out of the corners of his eyes he could see movement in the dark, his bedroom’s shadows pulling away from the walls and closet.

11:59PM.

Ryan huddles down deeper in the bed, rubs his cheek against the pillow in hopes that the sensation would aid in grounding him. His eyes are beginning to sting and water from not blinking. He didn’t want to miss the time change over, didn’t want to miss a thing.

He blinks slowly before settling in, watches as the clock switches from 11:59PM to 12:00AM.

Slowly dragging his gaze away, Ryan focuses on the shadows swirling and pulsating gently around him.

“Happy Halloween, baby.”

Ryan watches as darkness begins to sweep across the walls and crawl over the far side of the mattress to pool in front of him until the shape of Shane lying beside him is complete. The shock of warmth is astounding, but no where near what it’s like to be able to see his love again.

They drink each other in, eyes darting over every feature, committing everything to memory as if there was ever a possibility of forgetting.

Ryan pulls his hand out from beneath the sheets and softly brushes Shane’s hair back, cups his cheek. As one they move closer, the air they breathe warm and heavy as they stare in wonder. Shane presses his forehead to Ryan’s, soaks in the warmth of his husband, the feel of his breath ghosting across his face.

Ryan surges closer, tries to bury himself in the warmth and solidity of Shane’s presence. A presence that he’s still not quite sure is just his imagination filling in blank spaces.

“I miss you.”

Shane sighs as he shifts nearer, eyes opening to see Ryan’s crying, and God damnit how he hates to see his love cry. “It won’t be long now, Ryan. I promise. I’ll be home soon.” He seals his promise with softest of kisses. It’s barely a hint of pressure, but Ryan can feel the weight behind it.

Behind Shane the time flicks over to 12:01AM. His solid shape begins to thin at the edges before losing opacity until he dissolves completely as the shadows break up and retreat to their respective places. As his hand drops onto the pillow, Ryan squeezes his eyes tight to stop more tears from falling. He knows how much Shane hates when he cries.

But it’s fine, Shane will be back soon. A couple more souls and his contract will be complete, and he’ll be home again. Back in his arms.

For now, Ryan needs to deal with the way his body is rapidly losing the warmth it had greedily absorbed in those scant seconds of contact. Has to deal with the way the air hangs heavy with the lingering scent of Shane.

As he shimmies back to his previous position, Ryan watches as the shadows swirl and grow heavy, the barest of smiles twitching up as he feels his blankets shift upwards to cover his shoulders, watches the vague shape of a hand retreat off the bed before completely breaking away to return to the grey static painting his walls. 

The knowledge that he was once more completely alone crashes over him, and he does nothing to stifle the sob rising in his chest.

Just a little longer.

Just a little more time and Shane will be home.

 

And later, months down the line, when a ring of fire lights up his floor boards and his vision, Ryan surges to his feet. Desperate to absorb that heat as he knows what will immediately follow.

Between blinks Ryan will watch as Shane is pushed through his floor, _their floor_ , crumpled and curled up and worse for wear, _but home_. And Ryan won’t even wait for those inky tendrils to fully retreat along with the fire.

Ryan will be down on the floor pulling Shane tight to his chest because he’s home.

Back to Ryan.

**Author's Note:**

> So it's months late, but have a Halloween fic. To be fair, I did brainstorm this on Halloween or just before it, so in spirit, this is on time.


End file.
